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The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked several cities in Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and knocking operations at energy facilities offline, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday in a further sign of the conflict spreading as diplomacy stalls.
The coalition vowed a firm response to attacks on the southern cities of Abha, Khamis, Mushait, Jazan and Najran, as the country’s energy ministry said a number of facilities had been hit, causing fires and temporarily halting some operations.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea said that the Yemeni group would soon announce a broad military operation “deep” into Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia since they declared a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting its vessels in the Red Sea.
Iran meanwhile threatened the US with “economic warfare” on Tuesday and said that it had fired an advanced missile at US warships.
Tehran has vowed to announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf in the coming days in an effort to further squeeze shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up oil prices and piling pressure on US president Donald Trump to end the war.
Dozen countries to back, consider curbs on trade in goods from Israeli settlements in West Bank
The foreign ministers of 12 countries said on Tuesday they would back or consider restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are illegal under international law.
“The Government of Israel’s actions in the West Bank are undermining the possibility of a two-State solution,” the statement said.
“Today, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK confirm their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures,” it added.
James Reynolds8 September 2026 13:51
The latest: Iran-backed Houthis attack four Saudi cities in expansion of Middle East war as oil reaches $99
Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis attacked four cities in the south of US ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a major expansion of the six-month-old Middle East war.
The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s populated areas including the capital, said they had launched a broad operation deep into Saudi territory.
They used drones and missiles to strike a Saudi airbase in the southern city of Khamis Mushait, and targets belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state oil company in nearby Abha, Najran on the Yemeni border and Jazan, a major Red Sea port city that houses a large refinery and power plant.
A satellite image shows smoke rising from the Saudi Aramco distribution centre, after what the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said were attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, in Abha Bulk, Saudi Arabia, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on September 8 (Reuters)
Saudi authorities described blazes at the sites and said women and children were among the 73 people hurt. The reports of such large numbers of wounded suggested the attacks were among the biggest carried out against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
Houthi-controlled media reported later on Tuesday that Saudi warplanes had carried out four airstrikes in Yemen’s Jubah district east of the capital Sanaa.
After a month of calm in August, fighting in the Gulf has resumed, with Iran and the US exchanging fire, sending global oil prices back up to levels unseen since July. Brent crude prices were up more than 2% on Tuesday, above $99 a barrel.
Reuters8 September 2026 13:30
Watch: Smoke billows from burning trucks on Yemen-Saudi border after claimed Houthi attackSmoke billows from burning trucks on Yemen-Saudi border after claimed Houthi attack
James Reynolds8 September 2026 13:00
Trump latest: Anxious Republicans watch from the sidelines as Trump keeps tight grip on cash and spotlight
The unprecedented gathering begins Wednesday, with Trump aiming to rally his base by transforming the Nov. 3 vote into a direct assessment of his own record. Although his name will not appear on the ballot, he created the event to help GOP candidates.
However, with his approval ratings at record lows, uncertainty remains about whether his presence will energize Republican voters or mobilize the opposition.
James Reynolds8 September 2026 12:30
Iraq in talks with US, Qatari firms on Basra-Baniyas pipeline
Iraq is negotiating with a consortium of U.S. and Qatari companies over the proposed Basra-Baniyas oil pipeline, Iraq’s oil minister said on Tuesday.
The minister added that Baghdad remained committed to its OPEC production quota and would not exceed output of 4.2 million barrels per day.
Reuters8 September 2026 11:40
Russia offers to mediate in Middle East crisis
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Moscow on Tuesday that Russia was ready to help resolve the situation in the Middle East.
Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia was keen to deepen cooperation with Russia, including within the OPEC+ alliance, during talks between the two countries’ top diplomats.
James Reynolds8 September 2026 11:20
Iran war will continue for another six months, former US defence secretary says
The US war with Iran is likely to last another six months, according to former defence secretary Leon Panetta.
Mr Panetta, who was defence secretary under President Barack Obama and has also served as director of the CIA, said in an interview that Donald Trump’s war in Iran risks becoming another “forever war in the Middle East”.
He told The Guardian: “It’s no mystery that the United States and Iran are caught in a terrible stalemate, in which there really are very few options available to bring this war to an end.”
He added: “I think the likelihood is this war is going to continue for another six months without being resolved.”
James Reynolds8 September 2026 10:40
Iran War is costing Americans $100B in extra energy costs
The war in Iran is costing Americans $100 billion in extra energy costs — and that number is going up by $1 million every two minutes, according to an estimate from Brown University.
The Iran War Energy Cost Tracker from Brown’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs has tracked the price paid for gasoline and diesel since the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28.
That added cost boils down to about $763 per household, based on an estimated 131 million households nationwide.
James Reynolds8 September 2026 10:00
Catch up: Iran says improved ballistic missile shows it will take preemptive action against threats
Iran state media on Monday said a ballistic missile with improved capabilities was demonstrating a new doctrine: Tehran “will take action against any threat, even before it is carried out.”
The report by Iran’s state news agency repeatedly cited comments aired on state TV the day before by the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, who boasted of new missile capability and claimed it had been “tested” against a U.S. warship.
But it was not clear whether what was tested was the missile the new report described, the solid-fueled Qassem Basir.
James Reynolds8 September 2026 09:20
In pictures: Houthi attack on trucks coming from Saudi territory
Trucks explode as they burn, during what the Houthis say was an attack targeting trucks coming from Saudi territory, at Al-Wadiah border crossing (Reuters)
Smoke rises from a burning truck during what the Houthis say was an attack targeting trucks coming from Saudi territory (Reuters)
James Reynolds8 September 2026 08:40